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| Cambodian officials say they expect to begin initiating a 2009 law in April this year to bring the country in line with international standards. (Photo: AP) |
Im Sothearith, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Tuesday, 19 April 2011
“Right now, it’s my understanding that in Cambodia there is no system for formal relinquishment and that is something that will have to be in the new law.”
The US put a ban on Cambodian adoptions in December 2001. Since 2009, Cambodia has been trying to meet international standards for adoption. However, US officials and child protection groups say the country’s policies are not ready.
The US special ambassador for children’s protection, Susan Jacobs, recently toured Cambodia to learn whether its policies protect children well enough to lift an adoption ban.
She met with NGOs, embassies, and government officials. But in an interview with VOA Khmer, the ambassador said the US is not yet ready to allow its citizens to adopt Cambodians. She says the government has more work to do.
“They are definitely working in the right direction,” she said. “They are taking it very seriously, and they are anxious to do the right thing. So that is very, very promising.”
International adoptions can be tricky. Hopeful parents from wealthy countries can accidentally fuel the sale of children by desperate parents. Previously, thousands of Cambodians were adopted by US parents. The US instituted a ban in 2001 after concerns that children were being sold and that the adoption process in Cambodia was seriously flawed. Adoptions continued afterward until at least 2006, US officials say.
Cambodia passed an adoption law in December 2009. The law seeks to create an adoption process that complies with an international convention and ensures legitimate adoption. But so far, implementation of the law has fallen short.
The Ministry of Social Affairs says it is drafting the necessary instruments to make adoption safe. But the government needs international help to ensure they are properly written.
Jacobs said the law is just the beginning. More must be done to ensure adoptions are legitimate. For example, it is currently difficult to discern whether a child is truly an orphan, or a child whose parents are alive.
“So, they need to have a database that will have that information in it,” she said. “Right now, it’s my understanding that in Cambodia there is no system for formal relinquishment and that is something that will have to be in the new law.”
Marc Vergara, a spokesman for Unicef, said Cambodia is not ready.
“We believe that mechanisms in place are not positioned and the system in place is not adequate, and these still are not good enough at this stage to resume international adoption in Cambodia,” he said.
Cambodian officials are still working on improving the system. But for now, the US says it will not allow adoptions to resume. And it says there is no telling when that might happen.
2 comments:
Most Cambodian that involve in politic as politicians in Cambodia because they are try to get better position in government and plus better chance of corruption to gain millions of US dollars. That is the only one purpose of most politicians in Cambodia.
They don't care about The Cambodian people, The Khmer Nation as much as they care about their luxurious cars, big modern villas, millions $US deposited in the banks, Sex with teenagers.
If they just put their mind to build Cambodia. The Cambodia will be like Singapore right now or even better Country and Nation.
Innocent Cambodian people die to serve politic but the politicians are the only group get happiness at the end. Is it true through Cambodia history?
Examples:
Prince Norodom Ranariddh and Funcinpec Party, from 1979 to 1993, how many Khmer lives were dying or lost their limbs because of they believe in Dr. Prince Norodom Ranariddh and his Funcinpec Party. They were carry guns, bombs to fight with Vietnam. They don’t even have salary or proper foods. They were fighting because they believe they would have better chance to have better future as they promised them during they were using them as tool to gain power in serve their politic goal.
As they won the election 1993, Funcinpec Party and the party leaders slowly forget them and their suffering in severing Ranariddh and Funcinpec politics goal and purposes. They (disable veterans of war) lived like animals bag people for money on the street but the majority of top Funcinpec Party are living in Luxury lifestyle practice their European lifestyle and their Royal lifestyle. The disable veterans that were serve them before can’t even meet them ask for their charity because they simply have forgotten and order their bodyguard push them away like animals.
1997 Thousand of Khmer lives again were dying for serving Ranariddh and Funcinpec Party leaders but they have been simply forgotten by Dr. Ranariddh and Funcinpec Party again and again. They were dying for the sake of serving politic lead by the politicians as mention above.
So the question is “Are you Khmer people willing to die for they can be rich and famous and you be forgotten?”
please help and save cambodian children, they are so vulnerable and helpless. god bless cambodian children.
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